• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.102-109
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• 2003

Safety and comfort are importance concepts for designers of vehicle seats and instrument panels. There have been a lot of researches on comfortable sitting postures, however, relatively a few researchers have tried to find a desirable driving posture in consideration of both comfort and safety. This study investigates a relationship between comfort and safety of sitting posture of a driver. Since a seat is closely related to comfort, the angular data of comfortable sitting posture were obtained through the correlation between the seat and the driver. In order to acquire the data of safe sitting posture, computer simulations were performed for various seatback angles. Based on comparing and analyzing the data obtained, the optimal sitting posture is suggested for both comfort and safety aspects.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Design Studies Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.78.2-78
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Emotion and Sensibility Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.312-317
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• 2000

The relationship between riding comfort and the properties of flexible polyurethane foam used in car seats was quantitatively illustrated through vibration experiments with humans sitting in car seats, which were vertically shaken by vibrator. Riding comfort was estimated according to SD (Semantic Differential)-method using questionnaire, and was analyzed with a factor analysis which demonstrated the principal factors of riding comfort. At the same time, riding comfort was related to the properties of the flexible polyurethane foam with coefficients of correlation. It was also related to the behaviour of its vibration of humans sitting in the seats. As a result, it was demonstrated that the relationship between riding comfort and the flexible polyurethane foam properties varies according to the frequency of the vibration shaking the human sitting in the seat. and it was demonstrated that the frequency dependence of the relationship is strongly affected by the physical changes of the vibration modes of the human-seat vibration system.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.255-265
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate comfort levels of functional and non-functional chairs using subjective comfort rating, interface pressure measurement, muscle activity measurement, and skin temperature measurement. Background: Chairs are used for a prolonged period of time for sitting in many places such as the office, at university, at school, in industry, and so on. Almost all people use chairs in their everyday life. The functional properties of the chair are associated with comfort. Method: The subjective evaluation contains questions regarding chair comfort which can be rated with five point scale. The body-seat interface pressure was measured using a pressure mat system. The symmetry of sitting was measured using electromyography. The change in body part (thigh and buttock) temperature before and after sitting on a chair was measured with an infrared camera. Results: Participants rated significantly (p < 0.05) higher comfort scores for the functional chair in relation to the buttock and thigh region. Also, the participants felt a better cushion effect in the functional chair. When using the functional chair, lower interface pressure, better thermal comfort, and better symmetry of erector spinae muscle activity were observed. Conclusion: Overall, interface pressure measurement, muscle activity measurement, thermal imaging and subjective comfort score results showed that the functional chair was more comfortable than the non-functional chair. Application: The adopted methodologies could be used to measure the seating comfort of train seats.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.415-427
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the thermoregulatory responses to postures under different environmental conditions and to obtain the basal information for standard clothing weight, indoor climates, and working condition. Two adult female (22.5yrs, 46kg) were participated in this study. The experimental conditions were divided into three groups ; 1) comfort($27{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, $60{\pm}10%$), 2) hot($34{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, $60{\pm}10%$), and 3) cold($21{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, $50{\pm}10%$) condition. The postures performed were as follows; standing, sitting on the chair, sitting on the floor, and supine on the floor. At each condition, subjective sensations, 12 points skin temperature, rectal temperature, total and local sweat rate, pulse rates, blood pressure, skin blood flow rate were measured. The results were as follows : 1. Rectal temperature was high significant among groups in order of supine, sitting on the floor, sitting on the chair, standing posture(p<0.01). 2. Skin temperature was high in part of contact with the surface of the floor or wall and the effect of posture was greater in peripheral temperature than torso temperature. Sitting on the chair and sitting on the floor posture showed higher peripheral temperature than standing and supine posture. And peripheral temperature was lower in supine posture than any other postures. 3. Total and local sweat rate were decreased in order of standing, sitting on the chair, sitting on the floor, supine posture. 4. Pulse rate and disastolic blood pressure were higher in standing posture than supine posture, and there was significant difference between two postures(p<0.001). 5. Blood flow rate of thigh was high in sitting on the chair and sitting on the floor posture and low in standing posture. Blood flow rate of leg was low in standing posture significantly(p<0.01). 6. In comfort and hot condition, temperature sensation and comfort sensation were higher in standing posture and lower in supine posture than any other postures. In cold condition, temperature sensation was lower and comfort sensation was higher in standing and supine posture than any other postures. And supine posture was appeared positive in hot condition and negative in cold condition. From this study, we confirmed the effects of posture on human thermoregulatory responses. Results indicate that even under same conditions and clothing weight, the insulation of clothing will be different to postures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.955-968
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• 2010

Three-dimensional body data has been used in many industry fields including the apparel industry. This research used data from a study of the changes in lower body girth measurements from a 3D scan study of 25 female subjects aged 18 to 24 in four postures; a standing posture, a $120^{\circ}$ knee bend posture, a one pace stepping posture, and a sitting posture with a $90^{\circ}$ knee bend. We used the information on the difference between standing and seated measurements to adjust ease values for pants patterns an evaluation of the appearance, and the comfort of the pants. Waist girth in the sitting posture increased 8% compared to a standing posture and the hip girth measurement increased 7%. A basic pants pattern (pants A) with 2.4cm ease at the waist and 2.6cm ease at the hip was developed and a pants pattern (pants B) was developed using the rates of lower body girth change with a 5.7cm ease (8% change) at the waist and 7cm ease (7% change) at the hip. The appearance assessment items of pants A in a standing posture were higher than pants B. On the other hand, most appearance assessment items of pants B in a sitting posture were higher than pants A, especially the ease of pants back waistline and the appearance of the whole back. Comfort assessment items of pants B in both standing and sitting postures were higher than the comfort assessment items for pants A, especially the location of pants waistline, the ease of pants at the waistline, and the ease at the abdomen. In order to find the best level of ease for better appearance and comfort in both standing and sitting postures, 20 pants were constructed with ease values at the waist and hip in increments of 1.1cm in the range between the ease values of pants A and pants B. A fit test was conducted to compare the average appearance and comfort ratings that identified the pants with the best ease values at the waist and hip. The highest total mean was achieved in the pants with a waist ease of 4.6cm and hip ease of 4.8cm.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to provide the thermal comfort range according to the residential style and clothing level at radiant floor heating space, and compare the annual energy consumption and energy cost for each condition. Lower neutral point temperature has been stood for floor sitting style than chair sitting style, which appears that the thermal sensation was affected by local heat transfer between floor surface and the human body. The result of research indicates that neutral point temperature was in inverse proportion with the clothing level. It is interpreted that the increasing of clothing level results decrement of heat loss from human body, and is available to achieve same thermal comfort at lower room temperature. It was analyzed that the floor sitting style is more economical residential style than the chair sitting style, because the energy consumption of the floor sitting style is saved by 6.0% in average to compare with that of the chair sitting style. It is analyzed that energy consumption has been decreased by 13.5% with the clothing level of 1.2 Clo than with that of 1.0 Clo, and decreased by 18.0% than with that of 0.8 Clo, which explains that the energy saving can be achieved with the variation in life habit to increase the clothing level.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1992

A floor system have played a major part in the living in Korean house. It is an essential element in the residential houses. Uufortunately, a design method of the floor heating system for the human thereat comfort has not established in Korea system. This paper aims to review the previous researches to find the issue for the futher study of comfort floor heating design. The following results were obtained: 1) Nevins et at conducted experiments on the effect of the comfortable of floor and air temperatures on the psychological responses by a large number of subjects. Its objective was to find the combined condition to obtain thermal comfort for sedentary posture.7here has never been researches regarding a sitting Person on the heated floor. 2) Some investigation in Japan on the effect of floor heating system on a sitting person on the floor have been conducted for these years, but they are net based on the human heat balance but on only psychological responses. 3) Hirayama et al developed an indication method of the effect of heat conduction on the sedentary person.4) There are few researches on the human thermal comfort compared whth indoor environmental researches on mechanical controls in Korea. Thus, the further study on the followings in needed the estimaiing of heat conduction between tile hunman body and a floor, developing an index expressed the combined effect of convection, radiation and conduction and its associated experiments.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2015

This study has been purposed to provide thermal comfort range in accordance with the residential style of radiant floor heating space, and to compare it with the thermal comfort range at predicted mean vote. The survey for the thermal sensation vote to the subjects and the measurement of environmental factors has been executed, and regression analysis has been performed. It is interpreted that the combination of the physical factor and the psychological factor results lower neutral point of the floor sitting style than that of the chair sitting style. There are some difference between the measured predicted mean vote and the thermal sensation vote via survey, which appears to be caused by distinctive heat transfer characteristic of floor radiant heating space, such as, high radiant temperature and contact thermal sensation of floor surface.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.108-112
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of thermal comfort index and to present the thermal comfort range through regression analyses and experiment in a radiant floor heating system laboratory. The results were compared to the comfort zone of ISO-7730, and the applicability of the thermal comfort index to a radiant floor heating system was studied. On comparing the sedentary posture on the floor to sitting on the chair, the comfort zone and the neutral point of comfort index showed different values. It is considered that the influence of conduction from floor to the human is sufficient. Moreover, we could find a correlation between the thermal sensation votes of subjects, and the comfort indexes were lower than those by calculation.